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Helena P Schrader

Rebels Against Tyranny: Civil War in the Crusader States

Synopsis

Emperor Frederick II, called "enlightened" by historians yet decried as a despot by contemporaries, unleashes a civil war that tears the Holy Land apart. The heir to an intimidating legacy, a woman artist, and a boy king are caught up in the game of emperors and popes. Set against the backdrop of the Sixth Crusade, Rebels against Tyranny takes you from the harems of Sicily to the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, from the palaces of privilege to the dungeons of despair. This is a timeless tale of youthful audacity taking on tyranny―but sometimes courage is not enough....

Author Biography

For readers tired of clichés and cartoons, award-winning novelist Helena P. Schrader offers nuanced insight to historical events and figures based on sound research and an understanding of human nature. Her complex and engaging characters bring history back to life as a means to better understand ourselves.
Particularly, her Jerusalem Trilogy, set in the Holy Land in the late 12th century, has won critical acclaim. Envoy of Jerusalem: Balian d’Ibelin and the Third Crusade won Best Biography 2017 from Book Excellence Awards, Best Christian Historical Fiction 2017 from Readers’ Favorites, Best Spiritual/Religious Fiction 2017 from Feathered Quill Book Awards, Best Biographical Fiction 2016 from Pinnacle Book Achievement Award and an Honorable Mention for Wartime/Military Fiction at the Foreword INDIE Awards. Defender of Jerusalem, won six literary accolades including the John E. Weaver Award for Best Historical Fiction: Middle Ages.
Visit http://www.helenapschrader.com or follow her blog: http://schradershistoricalfiction.blogspot.com for updates on current works, recent reviews and excerpts.

Author Insight

How do you thank someone for your life?

Now at Thanksgiving we are all reminded of how much we owe others and God for the good things in our lives. Yet some of us must also thank others for life itself.
That is the situation of my hero in "Rebels against Tyranny." Released at last from Imperial captivity (where he was badly abused) he discovers more about who was behind his rescue.

Book Excerpt

Rebels Against Tyranny: Civil War in the Crusader States

Using only the light coming through the curtain from the room beyond, Rob helped Balian out of his clothes and into one of the beds, assuring him that there was both water and wine on the little fold-down table beside the canvas bed and that he would be within hearing just beyond the curtain.

“Rob, wait!”

“Sir?”

“My brother Hugh says you were the one who went to the King. I owe you my life.”

Rob shifted from one foot to the other. “I—well—I mean, you know I couldn’t go to the King myself. When Lady Bella learned from Sir Philip de Novare that you and Baldwin were being held hostage, she sent word to me that I should go to Lady Eschiva de Montbéliard. She’s the King’s cousin, see, and Bella thought she would be able to get an audience.”

“You went to Lady Eschiva?” Balian asked amazed. “What did she say?”

“She took a fishing boat that very night and sailed to Limassol. By the time I arrived, the Master of the Hospital had already taken you under his protection, so I rode to Nicosia with the good news.”

“She took a fishing boat?” Balian asked in approving wonder. “Where on earth did she find a fishing boat?”

“Her manor at Paradhisi is on the shore and there was a Greek fisherman in her household,” Rob explained.

“Lady Eschiva is full of surprises!” Balian commented in obvious approval. He felt his interest in her growing again. Bella had tried to warn him off, saying he was playing with her emotions and that it was unfair and unkind. Yet, he wasn’t playing. He was genuinely attracted to her. “How did she look?”

“What do you mean? It was dark and I—you know me, sir. I don’t pay that much attention to feminine dress and—”

Balian laughed at his discomfort and then reached out to stop him from being offended. “What I meant was: did she look happy in her new life as Madam de Montaigu?”

Rob shrugged uncomfortably again. “I don’t know, but why was she with her Greek servants at the shore rather than in the main house?”

Balian nodded, smiling slightly. “You see, you are more perceptive than you pretend. I do owe you my life, Rob—and apparently Bella, and Lady Eschiva, and the King, and the Master of the Hospital…. That’s a lot of people to be indebted to—not to mention the Lord of Karpas and my father. I don’t think I’m ever going to get out of debt.”

“You know you don’t owe me anything, sir. I’m just so glad I could find a way to help, even if it was only being a messenger.”